Hello! I have a double treat for you today—one you can drink and one you can eat, both on the same glass *starry eyes*. Don’t worry, I won’t make you slave yourself in the kitchen making macarons from scratch, however, we will make the cocktail which is the main star of the show.

I’m pretty sure everyone has tried a White Russian, or something close to it. White Russians were all the rage in the 90s, and it’s basically a creamy version of a Black Russian. Both have the same base of coffee and vodka. For this version, we are spicing up our vodka with some wintery notes like anise, cardamom, cinnamon, and vanilla. The cream also gets a touch of vanilla and the coffee gets brewed with a cinnamon stick.

To top it all up we are going to use some macarons as garnish (coffee or chocolate-flavored preferably). You can get the macarons anywhere you like, just make sure to keep them in the fridge before using them, so they are nice and solid. Otherwise, they can get too soft and fall apart in the cocktail before you serve it.

Oh and by the way—you’ll need to let the vodka infuse for a day or overnight, so make sure to plan ahead!

1. Place all of the vodka infusion ingredients together in a beaker with a lid or on a glass container. Cover and let the vodka infuse overnight or for a full day. After it’s infused, strain and set aside.
2. To make the cocktail, first bring water to a boil and prepare a french press with the ground coffee and the 1 crushed cinnamon stick. Pour hot water over it and let the coffee press for a couple minutes. Press to filter the contents, strain the brewed coffee and let it cool down.
3. Mix the cream or milk with the vanilla and maple syrup, stir until combined

Grab an old fashioned cocktail glass, fill it with ice, pour coffee about ¾ of the way, then add a 1 ½ oz of the infused vodka and stir for 10-15 seconds. Add a splash of the vanilla cream and either mix or let it mix by itself.

To garnish with the macaron, cut a little slit on the side of the macaron and stick on the side of the glass. You can also serve them on the side on a little plate.

Enjoy!

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Gabriel Cabrera is a Photographer and Stylist living and working in Vancouver, Canada. He's a travel addict with a penchant for Nordic design, Latin Food, and French pastries. When he's not testing recipes at home, he can be found sipping one or two cocktails while brunching with friends. He believes chocolate can always save the day. You can follow along his food adventures on Artful Desperado and Instagram.